Keep On Loving You - FSOG Lyric Challenge
by Sasha Cameron
Summary: A one-shot for the FSOG Lyric Challenge. Christian has been offered a challenge that he really would rather refuse but it gives him the opportunity to appreciate all that he has gained from having Ana in his life. This is a story about eggs.


_**I Keep On Loving You**_

_**Love takes the patience**__**of Job  
That's what my Mama always said  
Faith**__**is the belief in something more than what you know  
That's what the good book says**_

_**You gotta play the cards you got  
Who knows what fate is holding  
At times you gotta go  
Without knowing where you're going**_

_**That's why I keep on lovin' you, I keep on lovin' you  
Through the baby-don't-leave-mes  
And never-will-agains  
And I-promise-tos, I keep on lovin' you**_

_**Lord knows we've had our share of fights  
Our sleepless nights, our ups and downs  
We've had plenty and then some  
Of baby-I'm-gones and turnarounds**_

_**Sometimes I swear it might be easier  
To throw in the towel  
Someday we're gonna look back  
And say look at us now**_

_**That's why I keep on lovin' you, I keep on lovin' you  
Through the baby-don't-leave-mes  
And never-will-agains  
And I-promise-tos**_

_**I keep on lovin' you, keep on lovin' you  
Through the I-take-it-backs  
I-didn't-mean-it-like-thats  
I'd-never-hurt-yous, oh, I keep on lovin' you**_

_**I keep on lovin' you, I keep on lovin' you  
Through the baby-don't-leave-mes  
And never-will-agains  
And I-promise-tos**_

_**I keep on lovin' you, I keep on lovin' you  
Through the I-take-it-backs  
I-didn't-mean-it-like-thats  
I'd-never-hurt-yous, oh, I keep on lovin' you  
I keep on lovin' you, I keep on lovin' you  
Songwriter(s): Ronnie Dunn  
Copyright: Turn Me On Music, Still Working For The Man Music Inc., Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, Showbilly Music**_

* * *

"Sir, if I might make a suggestion." I do a double take at that word on her lips. Her hand hovers over mine, seeking permission. I grudgingly nod, not wanting to cede control. "If you could just relax a bit, that's it, a lighter touch is all that's needed."

I loosen my death-grip on the shaft allowing for a much softer control. Damn it, she's right. We both concentrate on the smooth stroking action as I press through the viscous liquid.

"Good, keep your wrist nice and loose, let it roll." My tongue slips out of my mouth as a stare hard, a bead of sweat forming on my lip. When I glance at her she is biting her lip, just like Ana does. "Can you feel that thickening?"

I nod mutely putting all my energy into not ruining this moment. At that moment Ana moves to the other side, surprising me by taking my other hand.

"Here, baby. You need to be able to multitask." Oh, shit, I can't believe that I'm actually doing this. Ana takes my other hand causing me to dip into the hot liquid.

"Take your time. That's it. Nice and gentle, just keep it moving." Her voice is quiet, steady, almost chanting in my ear. "Round and round and…"

"Ana…I don't…how do you know that this is going to work?" I am about to give up. For all her encouragement I am sure this isn't fucking working.

"_**Patience**_, babe, have a little _**faith**_. The rotation is everything. Keep your wrist nice and loose, fingers light. That's it." Her words echo Gail's and I wonder how it is that women just seem to have this _**belief in something more**_ when it comes to these things, whereas in the past I have resisted because I thought the science was all wrong. That is, of course, all women except apparently Kate, who according to Elliot won't entertain any activity like this, although he has sworn me to secrecy. Kate would hate it if she thought he was talking about her 'skills' to me. There would be a whole lot of shriveled testicle action followed by a mass of _**I'd-never-hurt-yous **_backed up by a heap of _**never-do-it-again**_, all with a smile on her face.

But Kate is not here right now, thank goodness, and this whole situation seems a little surreal. I never would have imagined myself engaging in this sort of activity much less doing two at a time. I stand against the heat, one hand trailing through Gail's thick, hot sauce and the other swirling around Ana's hot liquid with both women purring gentle instructions in my ears when the phone rings breaking my concentration. Ana let's go of my hand, reaching over to pick it up so that I don't have to stop my ministrations.

"Ana Grey."

"How is he doing?" My mother's soft lilt purrs down the phone and I recognize it even at this distance. I can't help but be slightly pissed off that she is a)interrupting this practice session and b)checking up on me.

"Fine. He's doing just fine." At that moment Jason comes in with a box of goodies in his arms. "Listen, Grace can you hold on for a moment?"

"Sure, sweetie."

"How is he going?" Jason pauses at the bench but doesn't crack a smile as he almost whispers his inquiry. Gail places her fingers across her lips, sending the age old signal of shut-the-hell-up to him but he merely shrugs. She shakes her head, turning back to give me her full attention. Jason starts to put away the extraneous equipment that I am not using, moving gingerly, trying not to disturb us as he places the items back in their allocated spots. Ana turns back to the phone and switches it to speaker so she can move back into position on the other side of me.

"Grace, are you still there?"

"I'm here love. Perhaps I should go. Send me some photos though. Carrick will want proof." Fuck Dad and his need for hard evidence.

"Oh, that is just heartless. He could just take my word for it." I am so glad that Ana is on my side with this.

"Yes, darling, you and I know that but these Grey men are so competitive." I swear my mother is actually enjoying this. To me it feels invasive and wrong to have my mother privy to what should be a very private embarrassment. But no, thanks to my Dad and his ability to push my buttons with challenges and bets, I seem to have the whole of the greater Western seaboard watching me fuck up two, probably more, normally simple acts at once.

"How is Carrick doing?" At least I have the benefit of knowing that Dad has to achieve the same task as me, in the same time frame, thanks to Grandma stepping in and setting the rules. Technically we should have been in the same place doing this at the same time just so neither of us could accuse the other of cheating but for practical reasons that was never going to work out. After all, we both need our own space and equipment to really nail this task.

"Apart from the _**sleepless nights**_?" Welcome to my world. Ana giggles at my mother's words. I'm just glad that old man is having regrets, hopefully with a dose of _**never-will-agains.**_

"I'm sure that he would take back this stupid bet if he could. Has he managed to do it yet?"

"Oh,we've had to try five times already and he's crying into his coffee as we speak, trying to psyche himself up for another round. I had to sneak out to the garden to call you. Quite frankly, just the practice sessions have had me exhausted. I don't know how he will have the stamina to get through the real thing. Thank goodness Mia will be arriving soon to help."

Ana giggles and I smile at the thought of Dad's distress. Just then Luke comes through his hands firmly clasping Phoebe on one side and Teddy on the other for which I am eternally grateful. That should stop them from seeing the worst of it. Just at that moment Jason drops a a set of metal tongs making all of us jump.

"God damn it! Taylor! Ana…please…! I'm trying to poach an egg in here! Oh, fuck!" Ana quickly switches the speaker off and clamps her hand over the phone as Luke pulls the children into his body covering their ears so that Mom and my kids don't have to hear me curse out the room. Gail, Jason and Ana crowd around the stove looking over my shoulder at the mess that is my third attempt at brunch. The water is still moving in one pan but all that is left of the poached egg is a stream of white goop and what appears to be a hard, yellowy-gray turd swirling around in circles. In the other pan is a coagulate of pale yellow lumpiness that was once attempting to be hollandaise sauce. Fuck me.

They all step back when I thump the spoon down on the bench.

"It doesn't fucking work!"

"Yes, it does. You just have to be a little patient." Ana puts a hand on my shoulder and I shrug it off in a huff.

"I was being fucking patient." I know I am pouting. I am quite aware that I am acting worse than my three year old who at this moment has slipped her thumb into her mouth as she gazes up at all the adults in confusion.

"Stop, swearing." Ana murmurs pulling away from me and stalking out to pick up her handbag.

"Daddy said a bad word." Teddy pipes up, pulling Luke's ineffective hands away from his ears.

"No point in crying over rubber eggs." Jason says unhelpfully, earning a glare from Ana and Gail. I reach into the cooling water, scoop up the offending oeuvre and launch it across the room at my head of security.

"Boys. Please." Gail has her hands on her hips, no doubt pissed off that she will have to get the yolk stain off the wall. She throws a damp cloth at Jason who obediently goes to clean up while I empty the rest of the goop down the waste disposal unit.

The doors open and Kate and Elliot enter the room with a very bouncy and delicious Ava and the more reserved Mattie in tow. They take in the scene with a shake of their heads before letting the kids run off together into the family room.

"No good, huh?" Elliot is rolling up the cuffs of his black shirt while Kate pours herself a coffee from the machine and perches at the bench. I shake my head. "Right. Well, the cavalry is here." He displaces Gail in the kitchen and places a fabric parcel on the bench before he dons an apron. Then he unwraps his knives getting himself organized to prep the ingredients.

"This is a complete waste of time."

"You're an idiot, you know that don't you?" Elliot is sharpening a very large lethal looking piece of steel. "Have a _**little bit of faith**_ that one of us might know what we're doing."

"But he's got Mia and she's a fucking Paris-trained expert."

"And what am I? Chopped liver?"

"Not Paris-trained." He gives me a look that shouts out a whole stream of 'take-it-backs' but I'm not quite feeling it. If I had that in me I would have shut the fuck up when Dad started goading me about my cooking skills last weekend.

"Well, sometimes y_**ou gotta play the cards you got**_. Besides, Mia is working with a handicap that we don't have."

"What's that?"

"Dad." I groan. When it comes to cooking Dad and I are peas in a pod.

A phone beeps and Sawyer leaves the room momentarily eventually reentering carrying a cardboard box in his arms. "The mystery box has arrived, Sir."

For a moment no one moves and then I can't help myself, almost diving into the box.

"Wait!" Kate places an arm across the top of the box quickly stopping me from opening it. "You have to wait for the message."

"Move away from the box, Kate." I growl at her. She stares me down with determination. Kate and I have had _**our fair share of fights**_ over the years but the idea that this might be for my own good is giving me the shits.

"You know the rules, Christian."

Gail, Ana and Luke round up the children and go to leave the room. "Where are you all going?" I try to keep the desperation out of my voice. "Don't leave me." Luke knows that this is not aimed at him since he's as useless as tits on a bull when it comes to cooking. Ana smiles sadly at me but my eyes are completely focused on Gail.

"Sir, I am under strict instructions from your grandmother that I am not to contribute in any way." Gail almost looks sorry but I know that is probably more about the damage that Elliot and I could inflict on her kitchen than it is about helping us to win this bizarre competition. I can smell defeat in the air but I nod, effectively giving them permission to leave. Ana and Gail are trying hard to keep straight faces. Luke doesn't even try, laughing on his way out of the room. Well, they have to spend the morning on child-wrestling duty so more fool them.

There is a flurry of goodbye kisses from Kate and Elliot for their kids. Ana is taking them all to IHOP for breakfast since there will probably not be anything edible on offer for them as a result of this little experiment. Grandpa and Ethan will meet them and I have this urge to cut and run, declare Dad the winner and join them.

Luke pauses at the door. "Fire extinguisher's under the sink, Sir." Fucking smart ass. In combination Elliot and I both wad up a tea towel and launch it across the room at him. He pretends to duck the soft missiles then laughs on the way out of the room.

"Remind me why you hired that prick?" Elliot grumbles.

"Don't know but never again. He's fucking fired." A louder laugh comes from further down the hall making me think that Luke might actually have a death wish.

Julia Child booms out a loud 'bon appetite' like some weird echoing chorus throughout the room as our phones independently receive messages. This is Grandma's idea of a joke but it is enough to cause Elliot and I to dive into the box almost tearing it apart as we pull out eggs, cheese, potatoes, mushrooms, spinach, basil, tomatoes, a jar of something called onion marmalade, crusty bread and pancetta. Elliot has a huge grin on his face but I am completely flummoxed.

"We're screwed." The task is to cook an egg dish for brunch. I have no idea how all of these ingredients are supposed to go together and with my useless egg skills we haven't got a hope. So far my attempts at fluffy omelet have turned into scrambled mush, my fried eggs could have been used as silicone mouse pads, my scrambled eggs are more like crumbly plaster that tastes remarkably like gravel and my boiled eggs could be used as rocket-launcher ammo intending to take out small tanks.

"Stop whining. Right, Jason, you're on prep. Christian, you need to focus on the eggs. Break all twelve into that glass bowl and try not to get any shell in there."

Fucking eggs. That is all I have to do to win. Cook a fucking egg dish better than my father. But my attempts so far have looked less like something edible and more like weapons-of-mass-destruction. I groan with frustration.

"Can't we just cheat?"

"NO!" Kate, Jason and Elliot respond at once. I feel pretty darn small right about now. The great Christian Grey, defeated by a fucking egg.

Elliot gets us organized pretty fast and I have to say that I am slightly in awe of him right now. Jason prepares all of the fresh ingredients, Elliot has things heating and seems to be frying off mushrooms and onions along with a host of other things that I quickly lose track of, as he easily stirs and flips his way through piles of food.

Meanwhile I slowly and methodically work my way through the eggs, cracking, breaking, tipping and scooping out shell with a little spoon after each one hits the bowl. While the other two seems to be making enough food for a small army, I am struggling through a dozen of these little oval fuckers thinking there must be a more efficient way to do this shell-breaking routine.

Eventually I get them all into the bowl, free of shell and I proudly turn to Elliot and Jason who have combined all the ingredients into one giant frying pan. Now I have no fucking idea what we are doing. Surely he is not going to make me scramble all of these eggs to accompany the vegetable slop he is creating on the stove top. After all of the practice this week, I am fairly confident that he doesn't want me to make ten fluffy omelets because then he would have asked me to complete the tedious and frankly, impossible task of separating the eggs. The French have a lot to answer for with that fucking waste of energy.

"Add a cup of cream to the eggs and then whisk them gently until they are all blended together."

"What?" I'm pissed now because I expended a great deal of effort in ensuring that those little yolky yellow fuckers didn't break.

"Cream, whisk, now." I can see that he deliberately didn't give me anything to do with a knife for a reason. No point in giving me a weapon. I set about doing what he has instructed me to do wondering how it is that I am taking orders from my idiot brother.

"You ready?"

"For what?"

"To pour." Fuck. Maybe this is about scrambled eggs. I take a deep breath. I can do this. Turning with the bowl I face down the stove but Elliot is pointing at his pan full of vegetable mush. WTF? "Come on, let's not overcook this stuff. Pour."

"In there?"

"Yep." He smiles broadly. Jason is facing away from us cleaning up equipment but his shoulders are shaking with laughter. I don't quite know what is going on here but I have to trust them because quite frankly I have no other choice and less of a clue. I step forward and pour the egg into the pan while Elliot moves the gloop around allowing the eggy liquid to distribute itself. Finally we empty the bowl and I still have no fucking idea what is going on.

"Right, grab a handful of the grated cheese and sprinkle it over the top." He joins me in this and I'm still not sure what we are doing except perhaps ruining what I am sure is one of Gail's favorite pans. "Open the oven door."

I do as he asks and he quickly deposits the entire pan into the oven. Now what?

"Babe, text them and say we will be there in an hour." Kate takes out her phone and dutifully begins to touch the screen.

"What? But we…where are we…?" As far as I knew, I had to complete the task and then send a photo to Grandma who would determine the winner.

"You have to know everything, don't you bro? This will be basically ready in thirty minutes. We will take it out at that point and finish it at Mom's place."

"But what about my eggs?"

"They're cooking. Wanna coffee?" My mouth is opening and closing rapidly. I don't understand. "Grandma just saved your ass, man. She sent you what you needed to make an Italian frittata."

* * *

An hour or so later we turn up at Bellevue and I am nervous as all hell about this frittata thing. My brother has been known to be a prankster and a gormless twit and I wouldn't put it past him to burn my ass with this challenge for the sake of seeing me make a complete tit of myself. When we walk in Ana is there with all of the kids and my mother has laid out a feast large enough for a small army on the back patio.

"How did you go, boys?" Grandma extends her arms for her customary greeting once Mia has taken the offending frittata off my hands. I walk into her embrace and feel Elliot clap his hand on my back.

"He did good, Grandma. Real good."

"Let's have a peak." She steps away from me and Mia lifts the lid off the pan allowing my eighty-six year old grandmother to make her inspection. "Mmmm, smells delicious, darling. Well done."

"Yep, I still wouldn't taste it. How did Dad do?" I ask Mia since she was on supervision duties.

"Well, we have a dish of scrambled something and another dish of fried something else."

"Kicked you out of the kitchen, huh?" Elliot interspersed.

"Yup. Ethan tried to assist but some people just have no idea how to help themselves. Don't worry, once he finished ruining the mystery box, Mom and I cooked up the rest of brunch so you won't die of food poisoning. I might even have rescued his fried nightmare so as long as you don't look too closely I think it will be edible."

Once we are all seated at the large outdoor table, me with my daughter on my knee, Dad stands up and taps his glass with a fork.

"Thank you all for coming along today. I would like to take a moment to concede defeat to my son who has created this amazing dish. I suspect that he owes most of his success to his brother so this is a grudging defeat on my part. However, the fact that my boys would ban together to defeat their old man almost makes me proud. So I give you, Christian and Elliot. A formidable enemy individually and a force of nature when combined."

Everyone raises their glasses of orange juice in a toast to my brother and I. He's right. The number of ventures that Elliot and I have joined forces on in the past few years has increased and every one of them has netted us a healthy profit. There really is nothing quite like the Grey brothers united. I lean over the table and fist pump my bro who is beaming like the idiot he is. But he is my idiot and I love him.

Well, mine and Kate's who looks across at me with a wink. Thank God she and I have worked out our relationship. It took a while but I now realize that she has the same protective streak that I have when it comes to the people she loves. In fact, in those moments when she is completely stressed out about her parenting skills it is me she talks to, not Ana. It doesn't happen very often but every now and then she finds herself stalking her own children around playgrounds as much as I do. We talk each other off the ledge when we find ourselves wracked with guilt over carrying our protective stalker-routines too far. God help all of our kids when they become teenagers because she and I are going to be a mess but with the resources and know-how to install tracking devices in their sweet, unsuspecting bodies.

Grandpa and Mattie have their heads together with Ethan at the end of the table. The three of them are engrossed in looking at a Lego building that Mattie has made. As a second generation adopted child, I am not sure any of us ever think about the color of his skin or have any moments when he doesn't belong. He is quiet but he has a wicked sense of humor and is so like his father in temperament that he could be Elliot's biological son. Ethan listens intently to everything that Mattie says and asks him enough questions to allow Mattie to show his expertise. He is going to make a great Dad.

Mom is bouncing Ava on her knee while she chats with a very pregnant Mia who is simply glowing. I'm not sure I was ever prepared to see my baby sister as a grown up mother and wife but it suits her. The fact that she knows twenty ways to kill someone without leaving evidence should actually be a useful skill as a mother. That won't stop us all from worrying ourselves sick until she finally has this baby.

Grandma catches my eye and gives a wink before she turns back to he discussion with Teddy about the solar system. He has been learning all of the planets names and takes great delight in reciting them to her. Jason and Gail are listening carefully and Luke sips his coffee looking at my son indulgently. This solar system thing is their little game and it never fails to amaze me that the big bad security guys are as gushy and protective over my kids as I am and not because I pay them to be. The one sore point in this scene is that Sophie, Jason's daughter, isn't with us today but her mother has promised that she will be able to spend a week with us next school holiday.

Ana and Dad are sitting next to me, chatting about books, as usual. I think Ana gets tired of talking bestsellers but she indulges him for my sake. I keep telling her not to but she is so loving and tolerant that she just doesn't have the heart to change the topic. As for Dad, he is such a big fucking know-it-all but it is that quality that makes him a great father because he always has something to talk with us about.

Unspoken, Elliot and I catch each other's eye and I pass Phoebe to Ana before standing up and joining him. We slowly walk away from the house and head toward the boathouse.

"You could have let me lose today." I can't help but think that Mia didn't exactly fight to help Dad with this challenge. However, if Elliot hadn't stepped up and told me what to do today, then quite honestly Dad could have won with whatever that shit is that he made.

Our attention is taken by Mia as she waddles over. Yes, she looks like a beached whale but she is a beautiful, vibrant and brilliant beached whale. She and Elliot share a look and it suddenly dawns on me that they planned this.

"You two made sure I won."

"Well, we can't let him win. He would have been a complete pain in the ass." Mia stretches her back and Elliot rubs his hand on the small of her back to try and ease her discomfort.

"Fuck, for a moment there I thought this was about me." I shove my hands in my pockets and look at the ground.

"Bro, it is about you. It's about us. Three musketeers right?" Elliot shoulder bumps me. "You're a self-absorbed prick sometimes but you're our self-absorbed prick."

"All for one." Mia says quietly, a smile on her face.

It would be a moment that would define us. Three broken people who were saved and raised with a wealth of love. I've been a shit to them both for most of our lives, mostly because I didn't know any other way to be. But they have always forgiven me, always stood by me, always loved me. I just wish that it hadn't taken so god damn long to see it. Now we all have our partners and our kids and this love that I never believed in, that I didn't think I deserved, has become the very thing that keeps me sane and safe. I don't have to say it but want to anyway. Mia beats me to it.

"I love you guys." Elliot gets that stupid grin on his face and I smile, something that seems to come naturally since Ana and the kids have come into my life. We both lean in and kiss our sister on the cheek before wrapping an arm around her waist and walking back up to the house.

* * *

_**A/N: This story is a one shot for a FSOG Lyric Challenge. The characters are based on my version of the Grey Family from Investing Elliot, Creating Kate, Going Grey and Making Mia. Hope you enjoy and please review.**_


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